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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25533397">A Hope to be Remembered</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothersilentwriter/pseuds/anothersilentwriter'>anothersilentwriter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aangst, Bittersweet, F/M, I apologize early, I'm Sorry, It is kinda sweet at the end?, Katara thinks about life (and death), Major character death - Freeform, Old Age Zutara, Poor Katara, The one time I will acknowledge canon, You might cry, Zutara Week, Zutara Week 2020, a little bitter, could be considered platonic, or want to cry, poor Zuko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:42:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,123</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25533397</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothersilentwriter/pseuds/anothersilentwriter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Katara was scared of being forgotten, Zuko would help make sure she was remembered. </p><p>“You two are getting old,” Toph comments as Katara walks by to sit down on the table.<br/>“Not like you are getting any younger,” Zuko quips, “Look at yourself, your wrinkles almost reach the ground.”<br/>“You’d think that after all these decades you would remember that I can’t see!”<br/>Katara stifled a laugh, “And I would think after all this time we would finally stop arguing.”<br/>“Not a chance, Sugar Queen. Not a chance.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara and Toph, Katara and Zuko, Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Past mentions of Katara/Aang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Hope to be Remembered</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my piece for Zutara Week 2020, Day 1 Reunion. I'm not sure if I will be able to make the pieces for the other prompts, but I hope you enjoy this piece.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She invited them here, it had been a place of reunions over the last few decades and she knew that it was only fitting for this reunion to happen here. All it took was for Katara to smile at the shopkeeper and explain who she was, and when he didn’t know who Katara was but saw the Toph Beifong the greatest Earthbender in the world and the Firelord to say hello, and well the older trio had what used to be The Jasmine Dragon all to themselves.</p><p>She looked over at her old friends and noted the differences that time made.</p><p>For one the group was smaller, their group of six down to three. She missed Sokka and Suki, and she also missed her late husband. But really, she missed the past. She missed being young and how things were the few months after the war ended.</p><p>She missed the family she had, and while she loved her children and her grandchildren, she knows deep down inside that if she made a few different choices things might have ended up a little bit better than they currently are.</p><p>“You two are getting old,” Toph comments as Katara walks by to sit down on the table.</p><p>“Not like you are getting any younger,” Zuko quips, “Look at yourself, your wrinkles almost reach the ground.”</p><p>“You’d think that after all these decades you would remember that I can’t see!”</p><p>Katara stifled a laugh, “And I would think after all this time we would finally stop arguing.”</p><p>“Not a chance, Sugar Queen. Not a chance.”</p><p>In the background Katara shakes her head, some things may never change. She stares at her friends, Toph who is like her element, old and worn. And Zuko, Zuko who looks tired.</p><p>As he should be, he changed the world, they all did. But Zuko’s job was the hardest. He brought a burned country from its ashes, reformed it, and turned it into a jewel of innovation of freedom and forgiveness. He made up for those who have destroyed and helped build the new world. He’ll be remembered.</p><p>And so will Toph, who is raising her fist and threatening to punch the Firelord. Toph who has made herself permanent, created metal bending, became a police officer! Surprising the world because who would have thought that the Blind Bandit, runaway wild child would eventually work in law enforcement. (Her reasoning was that if she couldn’t break the laws, she’ll break the ribs of those who do.)</p><p>Her mind drifts back to Suki, who is now long gone but made the Kyoshi Warriors a cultural icon and important figures in the Earth Kingdom.</p><p>Her brother who became Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, an inventor, leader, and sadly a comedian.</p><p>Katara won’t even begin to explain what her late husband did.</p><p>And now her brain finally comes back to the last member of their ragtag group of kids, turned heroes of the world, turned saviors, turned a few old people with fancy titles and kids- <em>her</em>.</p><p>  What did Katara do?</p><p>   What will she be remembered for?</p><p> </p><p>It has been long forgotten that she was the last Southern Waterbender.</p><p>It has been overlooked that she helped change the Northern Tribe’s treatment for women.</p><p>Nobody remembers, Master Katara the young girl who fought to change the world and to bring peace.</p><p> No, she thinks bitterly, they won’t remember that. The last time somebody talked to her about herself, all they knew was that she was the best healer in the world and the wife to Aang, and mother to Tenzin. They didn’t even realize the Avatar had other kids, something that as much as she loved the man she married she despised him for. Her children deserved better, she deserved better, but with a small tear it's all in the past now.</p><p>When she was younger the last thing she wanted to be was a healer, and here she is now.</p><p>It’s funny how irony works. She keeps telling herself that it is childish to regret the pieces of her life she lived, to be jealous of her friends for being successful. For holding herself back, for letting other people hold herself back. She made plans to create hospitals and schools, but she let the Avatar get the credit because the world was unstable, and he was the face of peace.</p><p>She fell in love with his childish smile, and his bright eyes, and his kind words, but so did the rest of the world.</p><p>She may not be satisfied with the life she lived, but there is no going back, only using what little time she has left.</p><p>“Hey, Sugarqueen, what’s the matter with you?”</p><p>Katara looks up at Toph, and even though the woman can’t see it she puts up her best attempt at a fake smile. Katara learned long ago that even if you don’t feel something, pretend that you do and always, always look the part. “Just the past,” She says, “just the past.”</p><p>Zuko across from her gives her an odd look but doesn’t say anything on it. Toph, on the other hand, does. “Yeesh, you say that like you are dying.”</p><p>Katara’s heart freezes.</p><p>It’s meant to be a joke.<br/>
It’s meant to be in good fun.</p><p>A jest towards their old age.</p><p>Katara knows this but…</p><p>“I would like to be excused,” she asks. She leaves them inside the teashop and heads to the balcony. She stares at the sunset, the orange, red, yellow, and blue. She slowly watches the sunset and ignores the feeling of ice in her bones when she grips the railing. How she feels like parts of her are cracking, and others are melting away.</p><p>Footsteps are coming from behind her, and she doesn’t turn around to face him.</p><p>“Katara,” He says, “Are you-“ He pauses, and she looks at him. “You aren’t- Please tell me that you are not.”</p><p>She wants to laugh, the Firelord is tripping over his words just like he did when he was sixteen. As wrong as it is, she continues laughing. “Toph meant it as a joke, but it is the truth.”</p><p>“Kat-“</p><p>“I’m dying.”</p><p>He’s shaking his head and forcing out sentences. “You can’t be dying. Katara I- I need you. There is no way, I-“</p><p>“Zuko,” she places her hand on his, “I’m getting old, and old people die.”</p><p>He stares at her dumbfounded, she can see it in his eyes that he doesn’t understand how calm she is. That he doesn’t understand that she has forced herself to come to terms with it.</p><p>“I’m sick,” She explains, “There is no cure or doctor or medicine you can give me to fix it. I checked, and I know you’ll bring it up. You’ve heard them say it, I’m the best healer in the world and I would know.”</p><p>The words come out bitter, and they are. She knows she was going to die, known for months. She loves her life, and she wouldn’t change it but looking at Zuko now makes her think of the possibilities of the what-ifs. The what-ifs that she has shoved down for so long.</p><p>She doesn’t want to die forgotten, but she knows that she just might.</p><p>Zuko opens his mouth to say something, she feels it and she knows that he does too. There are many unspoken words between the two of them. She doesn’t know what to say, so she stares and waits for him to say something, <em>anything</em>.</p><p>The tears fall from his good eye and hit the floor. “I almost died for you because I didn’t want to live in a world where you were dead and I couldn’t do anything about it.”</p><p>“I’m sorry.”</p><p>“I don’t even know what to say right now.”</p><p>“Zuko-“</p><p>“Katara,” he cries, and she pulls him to a hug. “I’ll miss you.”</p><p>The tears form in her eyes too, “I’ll miss you too.”</p><p> </p><p>When Toph shows up beside her, no visible tears in her eyes, but with a frown, she grabs her friend’s hand and squeezes it slightly.</p><p>“When Sugarqueen?” She asks, a waver in her voice, “How much longer?”</p><p>“Two Months.” She says, “I’ll be gone by spring.”</p><p>For a moment, Katara sees Toph the first time she met her. The quiver in her lips, reminding Katara of when she was a small twelve-year-old girl. That was a long time ago, it was all a very long time ago.</p><p>She’s known the time, while she may have teased her brother excessively for being a meticulous planner, she has done the same thing with her last few weeks. She will leave Ba Sing Se behind tomorrow, and then she will head to Air Temple Island, and after she will go back to the South Pole to finally go to sleep.</p><p>She will be returned to Tui, and find her place in the sea again.</p><p>She will not be seeing her friends again, this will be their last reunion together, and it kills her even more as she watches the reality slowly hit them.</p><p>She doubts they will be able to go to the funeral in the South Pole, the ice would be too frozen to travel by ship, and Toph refuses to go anywhere with snow, and Katara knows that Druk doesn’t like the cold either. This is goodbye.</p><p>At the Jasmine Dragon, she hugs her friends, cries with them, and laughs with them for the very last time.</p><p> </p><p>~o~</p><p>It has been two months.</p><p>Kya sent out the letter making the announcement.</p><p>Katara, Master Waterbender of the Southern WaterTribe, wife of late Avatar Aang, was dead.</p><p>Zuko doesn’t know how to function quite right. He’s sad because he misses his friend, and he knows Toph does wherever she is, and the Avatar’s family is also grieving, but…the rest of the world isn’t.</p><p>There are no parades like there were for Sokka, no statues like there were for Suki, no giant funerals that were held for Aang.</p><p>There is nothing for Katara.</p><p>His best friend is gone, and she is not remembered. This makes him angry. It makes his blood boil, and even more, tears are forming in his eyes. He knew it would be hard to live without her, but why hasn’t the rest of the world noticed? Why don’t they care more?</p><p>He looks to his desk and sees a piece of paper and a pen. Zuko has never been fond of writing, but he will get through this. For Katara.</p><p>~o~</p><p>
  <strong>The Waterbender that Healed the World</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Most people believe that my best friend in the world was the Avatar, and they are correct. But there is one other person who I consider my best friend through death and through life, and that is Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I owe many things to Master Katara, my love, my friendship, my confidence, and many times over my life. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>But one thing I do know is that we all owe Master Katara for the world. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Not many know her story, but I’m sharing it with the rest of the world because I know that it was what she deserved. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>This is the story of the girl who found the Avatar, who started prison riots and fought against sexism. This is the story of a young woman who pretended to be a vigilante, who forgave her enemy and helped end a war. She not only healed the world, but she also changed it, and she saved it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And for that, we all owe thanks to her...</em>
</p><p>~o~</p><p>The book became a bestseller within two days from when it was published, and everyone around the world was in awe of the Southern Waterbender. Children asked questions about her when he saw them, and he even overheard plans for a statue to be built in her memory. (Zuko knows that only Toph would be allowed to build it.) Zuko was proud, of himself, of his book, and most importantly her.</p><p>He did it through the tears, pain, and memories. Long nights staying awake and remembering old conversations. He asked Kya and Bumi about the funeral, asking them to repeat the conversations, asking if she was in pain. He grieved through words on paper, ink moved on the page as lightning did so long ago. It was a long book, but it was a long story.</p><p>He looked over at the sea, the night sky above him. White crystals dotted the black expanse above him, and the moon giving the world a silver glow.</p><p>“I’ll make sure you aren’t forgotten,” he whispers to the breeze, hoping that somehow, she will hear it in the spirit world. “You’ll be remembered, Katara.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading, and I apologize for how bittersweet this is.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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